Sean Wayland South Pacific Soul

Sean Wayland south pacific soul

2002

Seed CD005

"This will hopefully be remembered by someone as my jazz-rock CD."
Sean Wayland


http://www.seanwayland.com/home.html

“Superman plays for keeps” : Sydney Morning Herald CD review



His was a musical family, his father's love of jazz enabled Sean to hear the music of Keith Jarrett, Chick Corea and others as a young child. His father's mother Muriel Cohen was a concert pianist and the first Australian to perform Olivier Messiaen's Catalogue D'Oiseax publicly. To this day Sean is still entranced by Debussy and Messiaen. Perhaps intimidated by living up to his family's talent, Sean chose to study the violin as a child. His interest in the piano increased and as a teenager he fooled around on the instrument. The fact that he was already an accomplished fiddler and had a busy schedule playing with school orchestras etc meant that he had little time to practise piano. In his final year of high school Sean met jazz pianist John Bostock. http://www.johnbostockmusic.com

At the time in Australia it was difficult to find out about jazz and John hipped Sean to the music of Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock and John Coltrane. After school Sean spent a couple of years at University studying Electrical Engineering, but the seed had been sown and he came to realise that his calling in life was to be a musician. Sean studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 1992 and 1993.

He has had numerous piano teachers including Mike Nock, Roger Frampton, Judy Bailey, Paul Macnamara in Australia. In New York he has studied with Barry Harris, Kevin Hayes , Geoff Keezer, George Colligan, Sam Yahel and Bruce Barth. While at the Conservatorium he received the Jack Chrostowski piano award. In 1993 he was a finalist in the National Jazz Piano Awards at the Wangaratta Festival. In 1999 Sean recieved a grant from the Australia Council to study jazz piano in New York which helped him to relocate there.

Sean has worked for a number of internationally renowned musicians including : David Binney, Madeliene Peyroux, Tim Miller, Ingrid Jensen, Jon Gordon, Dave Smith , Dan Pratt, Ike Sturm , Russ Nolan , Matt Geraghty, The Dangit -Bobbys, Moses PAtrou , Cornell Dupree, Jesse Harris, Sheryl Bailey, Gerald Hayes, Dale Barlow, Justine Clark, Phil Slater , Jackie Orsascky, Steve Hunter, James Muller and Steve Mckenna



01. They All Dance http://cdbaby.com/mp3lofi/wayland3-01.m3u

This is a nice funky intro to Wayland's world. Sweet rhodes funkyness with wordless vocals ala Mark Ledford...we're slidin' right in there.

02. Shaun

Breaks into that fusion funk, got some bite here!

03. Sam Toucan

An interlude, Brief...and darker. Brings to mind Headhunters deep funk.

04. Hans

Wayland tosses more colors into the palette.Guitarist Muller makes a nice funky statement, and Wayland drags out the B-3 and a dollop of seventies "Arp" weirdness!

05. This Is Great http://cdbaby.com/mp3lofi/wayland3-05.m3u

Yeah Baby! Opens with a clean straight piano statement, backed by Brett Hirst's walkin' upright Bass. Its a bit rollickin' with a nod to master Don Pullen. Again, Guitarist Muller "drops in" with a fine, funky solo that would make Cornell Dupree proud!


06. Vibing

Another Brief interlude...With some right on funkafied guitar scratchin' over Waylands synth washes...the tune walks into....

07. Loop

Is a bit of a surprise, It knocks you off that relaxed spot that we've been worked into. Semus Blake, another of Wayland's well chosen talent's (there are MONSTERS all over this date!) takes back in a time warp to that killer sixties sax sound.

08. Vibe Up

Another interlude...Hey we're back, No we're not. Yow! The band is freakin' Trippin'. Distortion, loops and backwards, Waylands breakin out of the box.

09. VB http://cdbaby.com/mp3lofi/wayland3-09.m3u

Now that Wayland has busted in our ears...here comes the real flood of ideas.
VB starts out with Mullers rough, distorted rips...its FAT TIME.On Vb the band cranks out a solid brain twisting 10 minute "jazz-rock" tour de force.Here the band flexes its collective muscles an its a scary thing. Wayland gets a lot from Muller here and he demonstrates why he's a force to be reckoned with.To me VB is an instant classic. It stands up favorable to any of the old "fusion" names and is interesting to boot.

( No offense to Sean ...but this is what got me to originally check out Waylands work. As a "guitar head" when I first heard James Mullers work on Chad Wackerman's
"Legs Eleven" and " Scream", "aping" Allan Holdsworth...just a bit, my jaw dropped! I started chasing any and all releases with Muller present. But Mullers A LOT more than just a Holdsworth "clone". He's a major young talent, who's poised to "break out",a player who's comfortable and capable of playing in just about any context.
That's how I first got a hold of Waylands work and now his become another player who's discography I'm chasing around! Wayland also puts together great bands, The guys got a great eye for up and coming players who because of the nature of Waylands work are flexible and capable of cross-genre playing.


But back to the point...VB is a freakin killer tune! Its become one of those "put in the middle of the Radio show/ or CDR cuts that breakup any doldrums. Its Dark distoreted and dangerous! "A" list shit.

10. Chrisella http://cdbaby.com/mp3lofi/wayland3-10.m3u

Takes us back, its "old school". Again Wayland show's us he's "The Colossus of Rhodes" Wth layers of that rhoads funkyness and bubbling up underneath a swirlin B-3 ala Larry young. I know, I keep dropping names...I can't think of another way to hip you to this "new guy".
Face it, Wayland is one funky white boy! He must have a killer record collection and some fine taste. He knows how to funk, swing and rock out too!
Alvester Garnett, (what a great handle) behind on kit throws down a head-turing poly-rythmic stew, pining down this funky mix. Now I'm a ole' grand-pa born in the fifties. I grew up on the blue note, muse, Impulse! and Mainstream records. This bit of sweetness takes me back to my good old teenage jazz lovin' years!

11. Bunker Spreckles http://cdbaby.com/mp3lofi/wayland3-11.m3u

Where doe's he get these names? Spreckles is back to the "core" group of Wayland's.( Brett Hirst Bass , James Muller Guitar, Nick McBride Drums And Percussion and Wayland.) I don't know if this is a touring band, but they are solid in the pocket. This is a trip! Upbeat, its the new sound from far out! Its an upbeat, hip tempo bounce...trippy funk.

12. Genius http://cdbaby.com/mp3lofi/wayland3-12.m3u

Aw heck, what can I say...when I listen to this tune I think of those classic Sonny Clark dates on blue note from the sixties. I'm in a time warp! Wayland is certifiably funky. Genius sounds like Waylands tribute to all those 60's funk-jazz masters. Its a sweet acoustic piano trio piece, just rolling along and making happy sounds.
Genius is just about that, simple but great. Its fun. Think sweetness and cornbread.

Thanks Sean.







SEED005

SEAN WAYLAND
South Pacific Soul

01. They All Dance
02. Shaun
03. Sam Toucan
04. Hans
05. This Is Great
06. Vibing
07. Loop
08. Vibe Up
09. VB
10. Chrisella
11. Bunker Spreckles
12. Genius






Hamish Stuart Drums 1
Nick McBride Drums And Percussion 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11
Greg Gonzales Drums 4
Alvester Garnett Drums 7, 10
Jochen Ruckert Drums 12
Alex Hewetson Bass 1
Brett Hirst Bass 2, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11
Adam Armstrong Bass 3
Matt Penman Bass 12
Arne Hanne Guitar 1
James Muller Guitar 2, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11
Pete Zog Guitar 3
Blaine Whittaker Alto 1
Tim Hopkins Tenor 1
Seamus Blake Tenor 7
Ian MacDonald Organ 10


get it here....http://cdbaby.com/cd/wayland3